This planet had endured through years of war, famine, drought, floods and disasters.

Billions of people had walked the face of the earth, each of them leaving their own mark on the planet.

Then one day, out of all those billions of people, two particular people’s paths intertwined at an exact point in time.

Those people were your parents.

Despite all those years of war, famine, drought, floods and disasters, against ridiculous odds, your parents met and YOU were born.

Scientists have calculated the odds of any of us being born is about 400 trillion to 1. What is more incredible is the fact that you and your partner are now about to have a child of your own.

Every life really is a miracle and while the chances of any of us existing are so radically stacked against us, for some reason we have made it.

Everything in nature has a part to play. Every life has a purpose. You have been given this new life to guide, support and love.

But when it come down to having kids of our own, for most guys, no-one exactly tells us what we need to do to be a great dad. There seems to be this expectation that we should just know what we are doing. And it’s amazing how quick people are to judge if we put a foot wrong.

Being a dad is far to much of an important role to be left to chance.

That is why I am on a mission to help equip guys with the fundamentals of being a great dad. Fundamentals that I had to discover through trial, error and continual learning. Fundamentals that if you are willing to learn and apply will help you tap into that potential you have to be a great dad.

This isn’t to say we will get it right all the time. But so long as we always pick ourselves back up and try again and try better, that’s what will count in the long run.

Unfortunately, so man guys are either running away or not embracing their role as a dad. Often this is due to a lack of awareness of just how important the role is or because they don’t believe they have what it takes.

So how do we fully embrace our role as a dad so we always have what it takes to be there for our children? We do this by continually developing ourselves and taking control of our own lives.

As Michael Jackson’s song suggests, it starts with the man in the mirror.

Studies have show that the effects of emotionally unavailable dads were almost identical to those where the dad was physically absent. Just let that sink in. What this tells us is if we are not happy, fulfilled and in control ourselves, then our children will suffer as a result of that.

The effects of absent fathers have been linked to higher suicide rates, future relationship problems, increased rates of substance abuse and so much more.

Let’s commit to making that stop with us.

Together, lets take a stand and say, “Not on my watch as a dad.”

Like anything, being a good dad is a skill. It can be learned by anyone. And the more you are committed to put in, the more you will get out. For those guys who do, they will discover that being a parent holds joy and fulfilment like they have never known.